SORm – start of round marker (You could use a scrap piece of yarn for this if you like.)

WS – wrong side

TIP: Don’t make your tension too tight – you want the fabric of your cowl to drape softly around your neck, not stand upright like Kayan neck rings. If the fabric is too stiff, go up a hook size.

Instructions:

With your chosen hook and yarn, chain a length approximately 85cm for the adult size pictured here. (The exact length/number of chain made here is not important. You can improvise to alter the size of your cowl, but this will affect the yardage requirement.)

Check that your chain is not twisted and make a slip stitch join in the back ‘bump’ of the first chain. (The back bump forms a ridge that runs along the length of your chain, a bit like a spine.)

Round 1: hdc in the next and each back bump of your chain till you have worked all the way around, as well as into the slip stitch that joined the ends of your chain together. Do not sl st into the first hdc to end the round. Place SORm.

Round 2: Keeping your RS facing, * hdc in the BACK BAR of the next st; Repeat from * around. Do not sl st into the first hdc to end the round.

The back bar is not the ‘back loop’ at the top of your stitch, but the bar BEHIND the back loop on the WS of your work. When you work into this, it pushes the two top loops to the front of your work to create the braided or ribbed effect.

Repeat Round 2 till you have worked approximately 20cm, finishing the round at your SORm position.

Final Round: 1sc in the back bar of each st around to SORm, sl st in next st.